Friday, September 18, 2015

Developed “By Groomers and Stylists for Groomers, Stylists and Pets”

Hershey, PA –Today at Barkleigh Productions’ Groom Expo, the Professional Pet Groomers & Stylists Alliance (PPGSA) formally released the results of a year-long initiative to develop comprehensive safety and sanitation standards that will serve as the grooming industry’s standard of care for pet grooming. These industry-wide standards are the first of their kind and a significant milestone in the grooming industry.

PPGSA spokesperson and president of the California Professional Pet Groomers Association Teri DiMarino announced the release of the standards to a receptive audience of groomers, stylists and allies at one of the industry’s largest events, held annually in Hershey, Pennsylvania. “All across the country, thousands of pets are entrusted to our care every day,” said DiMarino. “We have a responsibility to pet owners, their pets and our fellow groomers and stylists to provide the highest level of safety and care when grooming a pet. These standards of care reflect that.”

DiMarino went on to describe the historic collaboration that made these standards possible. “I am proud to say that this document represents the expertise gained from literally hundreds of thousands of hours of hands-on, professional experience. We drew from ongoing education efforts by national and state grooming and styling associations, industry training programs and schools to develop these protocols for animal safety and standards of care. These standards were developed with input and guidance from professional groomers, stylists and veterinarians with a wide range of experience and backgrounds.”

The document includes sections addressing pet housing standards, equipment standards, general professional standards and work standards and demonstrate responsible grooming practices within the industry. The focus is on animal safety and care, rather than discussions of grooming styles, methods or techniques, whether in general or breed-specific. These standards are important for the grooming industry because they establish industry-wide guidelines upon which pet owners can rely when entrusting their pets to the care of a professional groomer or stylist.

The standards were unanimously adopted by the founding members of the PPGSA. A “living document,” they will be regularly reviewed to ensure that they reflect the most up-to-date safety and sanitation practices. Current and future alliance members commit to incorporating these standards into their own training and/or certification programs, ensuring that groomers and stylists are taught and held accountable to the same standards irrespective of which program they pursue.

About the Professional Pet Groomers & Stylists Alliance

The PPGSA was created to harness the experience and expertise of the three major national dog styling associations – International Professional Groomers, Inc., the International Society of Canine Cosmetologists and the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. – to develop industry-wide safety and sanitation standards for pet grooming. In addition to these groups, founding members of the Alliance include the National Cat Groomers Institute of America, the Professional Cat Groomers Association of America, the Merryfield School of Pet Grooming, trade groups such as the World Pet Association, the California Professional Pet Groomers Association, the New Jersey Pet Groomers Association and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, major retail partners such as Petco and PetSmart and pet care industry service providers such as the American Kennel Club, America’s Pet Registry, Inc. and Barkleigh Productions. PPGSA is an alliance of existing industry organizations; it is not a membership or certifying organization for individual groomers. For more information, contact Mike Bober at (202) 309-3980 or mbober@pijac.org.